


Love Your Brains Out

by AmuletMisty (AmuletStormfall)



Series: CxB Week 2015 [3]
Category: Legion of Super Heroes (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, WOOO, also Trinity friendship, but it's future uni, but it's on Earth, so there are aliens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-21 07:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16571987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmuletStormfall/pseuds/AmuletMisty
Summary: [College AU] Clark and his friends get a new, young, and very Coluan lecturer.





	Love Your Brains Out

**Author's Note:**

> Re-posted from deviantart. Originally published Sep 23 2015.  
> Wow this shows my weebness so much...I-it's not like I like this kind of trope or anything, idiot! lol

“It’s weird that we’re still getting compulsory external lectures when we’re in our final year. I mean, I think we’ve had enough speakers about future careers already,” Clark commented, as he got out his pad of paper and pencil.

“It’s also weird that you’re still writing,” his best friend quipped, getting out his iHolo. “Transcribe feature – on.” A blue holographic screen popped up from the small device he set on his table top. “It’s good to keep a habit of keeping up with technology, Clark.”

“Not everyone has as much money to spend on it as you, Bruce.” He sighed. “You don’t even need to be in college.”

“There’s a lot of entertainment to be found here.” At that, Bruce smiled back at a girl who had been staring at him. She giggled and turned to talk to her friend in muffled whispers. “See?”

“Yes, as clear as day, Bruce,” said Diana, with a shake of the head, though she did look fairly amused. She sat down next to Clark, though she did reach over to lightly punch Bruce’s shoulder.

Clark leant back to avoid getting in her way.

“You might not approve of one of my reasons but I do pay attention to these lectures, you know,” Bruce informed her.

“We know that,” Clark reassured him. “Anyway, do you know who’s supposed to be speaking to us?”

“It’s supposed to be a surprise, apparently,” said Diana.

The three friends didn’t have to wait for long.

The person who walked up was…younger than everyone in the lecture hall had expected. Or at least he looked young, with the way his lab coat hung too loosely on him. Though none of them could be too sure, as their new lecturer didn’t seem to be of human origins.

“Wow, they managed to get someone from off-planet. No wonder this was compulsory,” Clark said, trying not to stare too obviously. It was not true for all of them, but most lecturers that were foreign to Earth were usually top class and well-sought out. At this point of time, Earth universities were considered very lucky to manage to book one.

This lecturer, in particular, judging by sight, was younger than Clark and the other students by at least three years. Again, it was difficult as most of the species outside of humans aged differently.

“You’re from off-planet too though, aren’t you?”

Clark rolled his eyes. “Yeah but I’ve _lived_ here all my life.” He watched as the lecturer set up the screen behind him. “Where do you think he’s from? He’s not Martian, is he?”

“Not a lot of people in this hall would know who he is,” Bruce said, “but he’s Professor Querl Dox. You’ve probably heard of young geniuses before, but he’s Coluan. His whole species have a higher intelligence than the average human. Take that and the fact that he’s considered a genius among his own species and you just get one big super-genius.”

“Then why is he a lecturer?” Diana asked, looking over at Bruce. “Surely someone with that much talent would find interests elsewhere.”

Bruce shrugged. “Well, he already invented Flight Rings, so maybe he thought he’d contributed to science enough and decided to teach.”

“He _invented_ Flight Rings!?” Clark exclaimed. _Whoa, this was one amazing guy we’re about to get a lecture from_ , he thought.

The professor cleared his throat, and the hall dropped to silence.

Clark set forward in anticipation. Sure, he might not have ever been the most enthusiastic student ever but he was interested in what Querl Dox would have to say.

“Good morning, everyone. Today, I’m here to talk to everyone about their future careers.” He looked around the room. “There are many people in here, and so there is a lot of potential for great success.”

The hall held their breaths.

“…Of course, there is also a chance for failure. In fact, the percentage of those here who become successful is only about ten per cent, and that would be an optimistic outcome.”

_Uh…_

With that statement, several students’ faces paled. Others just looked confused as to why a lecturer would say that, thinking they were meant to be motivational (this included Clark). Some, like Diana, looked slightly ticked off. Then there was Bruce, who let out a soft ‘hah.

“Yes, Mr. Wayne. I suppose you do have the right to be smug seeing as you have already reached a fair bit of success.” Coluans turned out to have excellent hearing.  “I wouldn’t suggest you sit on that, though, as by my calculations you have over a sixty percent chance of encountering a great failure to lose your fortune too. Just something to be aware of.”

That wiped Bruce’s smile straight off his face, and his gaze became ice cold. Clark was sometimes taken aback by how fast his friend’s mood could change. “So looks like the genius knows about me too, huh?”

“I know the names of everyone in this room,” Querl Dox informed them. “I have researched all of you beforehand. I suppose the college didn’t tell you about this, but I will be continuing to research all of you. I plan to develop technology that will predict a student’s tendency for success and failure. Employers will then be able to agree to contracts with students before they’ve even finished their degree. “

Hushed whispers broke out, several dismayed at the invasion of privacy.

“You can’t just predict someone’s future like that,” Diana called out, obviously outraged at the gall he had. “How could you just write off someone as successful or not before they’ve done anything?!”

“No, I can’t. Not yet. The ‘how’ is what I’m here to test for,” said Querl Dox. “Though, if you want me to make a calculation based on your current behaviour, I would be more than happy to oblige.”

Diana sat back down, a look of utter disbelief on her face.

“I hope for no more interruptions. Now, the most successful careers are in the following industries…”

Clark sank back into his seat. That didn’t go like he thought it would.

Xxx

Needless to say, from day one, Professor Dox was not popular among the campus. Many students tried to petition him out of the college, though the faculty wouldn’t hear of it – they had paid a lot to get Prof. Dox here in the first place.

Diana, to no one’s surprise, was the leader of the group against him, believing what he was trying to create was morally wrong. Bruce, to everyone’s surprise, also took an active role against Prof. Dox, often sponsoring the movement against him. Clark figured that Bruce had taken it personally, more than anything.

As for Clark himself, while he didn’t think that judging someone’s future based on numerical predictions was right, he didn’t feel _too_ worried Prof. Dox. Someone might call him simple-minded, but Clark believed that someone who had put themselves back into academia, especially to teach others, couldn’t be all bad.

That’s why, despite Bruce’s protests about Clark ‘even thinking of speaking to that brat’, he decided to knock on his office door. He was genuinely intrigued about why the Coluan would want to make an invention like this in the first place.

Before he did, though, he heard a few voices talking inside.

“So, basically the whole of the college hates you now. That’s hilarious, Brainy.” It sounded like a young man’s voice.

A woman spoke up. “Brainy’s having a hard time, you don’t have to laugh.”

“Imra is right, I’d appreciate it if you’d stop your laughing, Garth.” This time it was Prof. Dox speaking.

“Yeah, well people probably aren’t too hot about getting taught by someone who’s half their size,” Garth pointed out. “I know I’d be ticked off. Especially if the guy claims to know everything.”

“What Garth _means_ to say, is that they probably just have to get used to you,” Imra said.

“I don’t know about that. They’ve got anti-Querl Dox movements now,” Prof. Dox said drily.

“ _Haha…_ ”

“Ignore him, Brainy. I think from the sounds of it, maybe they’ve got the wrong impression of you. Knowing you, you probably haven’t told them the whole story. I’m sure they’d understand if you explained your ideas properly.”

There was a pause.

“In any case, it’s getting late where I am. I’ll have to say goodbye for now, but call if you need us.”

“Yeah, we’ve got your back Brainy. Good night!”

“Good night then, Imra, Garth. Until next time.”

There was a long drawn out sigh.

Clark wondered if this would be a good time to still knock, but that decision was made for him when the door opened and he came face to face with Prof. Dox himself.

“Oh, er, hi.” _Way to go Clark._ “I just got here.”

“My scanners detected you outside a minute or two ago,” Prof. Dox said bluntly. “You’re Kryptonian, so you must have heard all that.”

“I…yeah.” No point in lying, really.

“Well, come in and have a seat.” Prof. Dox walked back in before Clark could object. He felt like he had no choice but to follow the Coluan inside.

Compared to many other professors’ offices, Prof. Dox’s was a lot more high tech. He seemed to have super computers that you wouldn’t be able to get on Earth yet. On one of them, Clark noticed, was a screen that showed that he had just ended a group intergalactic call.

“So, Mr. Kent, what did you want to talk about,” said Prof. Dox in a formal manner.

“Actually, I um…came here to have a discussion with you,” Clark admitted. “I was wondering about your reasons for wanting to invent the technology you’re working on.”

There was surprise on the Coluan’s face. His purple eyes widened. “Really?” He had started to lean forward on his desk, but realising his action he cleared his throat and sat back down. “Um, I mean, is that so?”

Clark tilted his head to stare at Prof. Dox. That reaction seemed almost like a normal teenager. “Yeah. Is it really that surprising?”

Seeming to realise he had given himself away, Prof. Dox averted his eyes, seemingly embarrassed. “Yes. To be honest, you are the first student who has willingly come to me…without aggressive intentions.”

“So you were telling your friends about the whole thing?” Clark asked, testing his luck.

“…I was. Earth seems a bit different from other planets I have been to. I’ve researched all I can about it, but I still don’t completely understand it. I’ve conducted research for this project on other planets, and most seem fine with it. I don’t quite know why the humans of Earth are so against it.” Prof. Dox seemed genuinely troubled by this.

“Well, I think most of them feel offended or hurt that you’re saying that they might ‘definitely’ fail in the future, no matter what they do. The thought that their opportunities might get lost because of a prediction before they have a chance to prove themselves is kind of down heartening, you know,” Clark tried to explain.

“Oh.” The Coluan seemed to not have thought of that. “Then their disapproval is more emotional rather than a move to stop progress.”

“I guess you could say that.”

“I do not mean to build a wall between them and opportunities,” Prof. Dox said, drumming his fingers on the table. “In fact, I want to be able to use the technology to assess the rate of success during a students’ studies. Once the rate has been determined, it would then be up to the college to find out what aspect of their studies is lacking, and is pulling down their rate. That way, the college would be able to help improve the student’s rate. There would also then be a final rate taken on the success a student could have in each job. In the end, the student would then be told which job they would have the most likely success in, and they could give this assessment to their potential employers.”

Clark blinked at what Prof. Dox just said. That…really sounded like he wanted to help students, more than anything. Of course, it could have its problems, but it did seem to have the potential to be something positive.

He thought it was actually really admirable of Querl Dox, to use his intelligence to want to improve the chances of success in life for others.

“You know, Prof. Dox, if you just tell everyone that, I think they’d be more willing to be part of your research. Like I heard your friend say, I think you’re just not making them understand what you want to do.” Clark smiled. “I personally think it could work out.”

“You do?” Prof. Dox leaned forward again.

“Yeah,” said Clark. “I think that your rate of successfully conducting your research would increase by at least sixty per cent. Only by my calculations, I mean.”

“Heh…I guess I’ll have to trust your calculations.” Prof. Dox laughed, meeting Clark’s eyes.

Clark thought he looked…kind of cute like that.

…Er, um, he probably wasn’t supposed to think that.

“Right. A-anyway I’m sorry for taking up your time. You’re probably really busy,” Clark said, getting up.

“Not at all,” Prof. Dox said quickly, also getting up. “I quite enjoyed your company. I…think I might have to re-evaluate some factors that I take to generate the probabilities after all. Actually, my first calculation about you did not come out with a high rate of success. However, after actually speaking to you, my calculations tell me that you do have more potential than I thought.” He extended a hand. “It was a pleasure to talk to you, Mr. Kent. I value your input.”

“Then if I could add one more thing, I know you’re supposed to be formal with your students, but I think on Earth you’ll come off more approachable if you call people around your age by their first name.” He took Prof. Dox’s hand and shook it. “That and it kind of feels weird to be called ‘Mr. Kent’ by you.”

“Then…thanks for coming to see me, Clark,” Prof. Dox tested. He turned his face away again, a sign that Clark very quickly learned showed that he was embarrassed. Prof. Dox opened his door for Clark. “You’re a very interesting person. I hope we could have more conversations in the future.”

“Now, my calculations for _that_ happening, I’m happy to say, is at least ninety per cent.” Clark stepped out of the room. “I’ll catch you later, Brainy.”

Clark didn’t know whether Coluans could blush, but by the way Prof. Dox hurriedly shut his door at being called ‘Brainy’, he suspected they could.

…

“Did I just witness Clark Kent flirting? With a _professor?_ With Professor _Querl Dox?”_

The Kryptonian almost jumped out of his skin.

“I was not!” he denied fervently, whipping around and finding Bruce and Diana, crossed armed.

“I mean,” said Bruce. “I could tell you found him cute but I didn’t think you’d actually make a move on him.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about!”

“Clark, I don’t want to get in the way of your crush,” Diana started.

“I don’t have a crush!”

“But I’ll just remind you that it is against the rules to date anyone employed with the college.”

“No one said I wanted to date him!”

She continued, “That and I don’t approve of him.”

“Are you even listening to me?” Clark said, exasperated. “I just went to talk about the project.”

“What did he say?” she asked.

“I think he’s going to want to tell you himself, but all I can say is that I really don’t think he’s a bad person.” His lips twitched back up into another smile.

…

“Wow, he’s got it bad.”

“Let’s go, Bruce, we have a petition to write.”

“Wha – no, seriously! Listen to me! I’m telling you you’re wrong!”

\-------

**Author's Note:**

> Original A/N from deviantart:
> 
> Tadaa! College Clark is best Clark. And Wingman Bruce is best Bruce. And Diana is just cool so ofc she's a Wingwoman and a blunt one at that. Okay fine they technically didn't do any Wingman-ing. But if you imagine a continuation of this they do. I just like the idea of Clark having JL best friends and being teased by them. That said, this makes 2/2 of my Clark perspective CB end with teasing. It brings me joy.
> 
> Me: Ugh why are there so many student/teacher manga out there I don't like them >w<  
> Me later: OH WAIT THIS IS COLLEGE STUDENT/TEACHER I'M DOWN WITH THAT.  
> Me more recently: BRAINY IS THE TEACHER AND CLARK IS THE STUDENT AND YOU CANNOT STOP ME.
> 
> That's basically it. And hey it looks like I'm not the only one who sees Brainy as a young teacher. (@PrincessOfNox - RIGHT!? PROFESSOR BRAINY IS LIKE PERF)
> 
> ALSO. If you're wondering about the title please go listen to the song 'Brains Out' by Kim Cesarion. Starting from the second verse of the song I was just like CxB IS THIS SONG. *Then again maybe the first verse too cause Clark might be an unknowing player idk depends on your perspective.


End file.
